Do airport full body scanners violate Islam?
| Chicago
As full body scanners debut at O鈥橦are International Airport Monday, two American Muslim groups have suggested that the technology violates the teachings of Islam.
The comments are just the latest controversy surrounding full-body scanners, which some critics call a 鈥渧irtual strip search鈥� because the technology sees through clothing to show the contours of a passenger鈥檚 body in detail.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has deployed 150 scanners across 21 US airports this month, partly in response to the failed Christmas Day bombing of a Detroit-bound jetliner, where bombmaking materials were hidden in a passenger鈥檚 underwear 鈥� something full-body scanners would have seen.
The TSA expects to install an additional 300 scanners in nine additional airports by the end of this year. But security officials say they will be able to accommodate the wishes of passengers 鈥� Muslim or otherwise 鈥� who object to the full-body screener.
The technology is 鈥渃ompletely optional for all passengers,鈥� says Jim Fotenos, a TSA spokesman, and those who choose not to participate get 鈥渁n equal level of screening,鈥� which includes a walk through a metal detector and a physical pat-down by an officer of the same sex.
Islamic objections
The screening imagery is a violation of Islam, says The Fiqh Council of North America, a body of Islamic scholars located in Plainfield, Ind. Last month the council issued a statement that said the full body imagery 鈥渋s against the teachings of Islam, natural law, and all religions and cultures that stand for decency and modesty.鈥�
鈥淚t is a violation of clear Islamic teachings that men or women be seen naked by other men and women,鈥� the statement continued. 鈥淭here must be a compelling case for the necessity and the exemption to this rule must be proportional to the demonstrated need.鈥�
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington-based civil rights advocacy group, agrees with the Fiqh Council and, according to National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, it plans to track Muslims concerns with the scanners before deciding what actions to take next.
鈥淢odesty is a basic principal of the Islamic faith, it鈥檚 very important and always has been,鈥� says Mr. Hooper. 鈥淧eople say, 鈥業鈥檒l do anything for safety,鈥� but that鈥檚 not the question. Everybody wants to be safe. Muslims fly like anybody else 鈥� you can be safe and secure and still maintain your privacy rights.鈥�
'A fuzzy photo negative'
To stress the anonymity of the process, the TSA says officers review the images in a remote location and never see the actual passengers. What they do see via their monitors is automatically deleted from the system once the passenger passes review.
According to the TSA website, what officers see of a passenger鈥檚 body either resembles 鈥渁 chalk drawing鈥� or 鈥渁 fuzzy photo negative,鈥� depending on the machine, therefore suggesting passenger privacy is ensured.
The Fiqh Council, however, is urging followers to request pat-down searches as an alternative.
CAIR鈥檚 Mr. Hooper also advocates an increase in federal funding for alternate screening technologies that do not require visual screening, such as the "Puffer,鈥� a machine that can identify chemical particles a person may have on their body and analyze whether or not they are harmful.
The TSA鈥檚 Fotenos says the current options 鈥渟houldn鈥檛 substantially impact operations at checkpoints,鈥� saying TSA research at 19 US airports shows gate delays are primarily caused by carry-on baggage checks.
